My mother always taught me to share, which is the only reason I’m letting you in on a few
festivals celebrating one of the most fabulous of foods — the morel mushroom.

A mushroom lover doesn’t have to leave Ohio to enjoy the morel, a honeycombed, alien-looking
growth that will soon be appearing on forest floors throughout the region.

I have my own team of morel hunters in Coshocton that supplies me with bagsful of the tasty
mushrooms each spring. My sister’s children gather morels on their wooded property. For them, the
fun is in the hunt, but the family doesn’t eat the mushrooms, so I gratefully accept the
spoils.

Morels have a complex favor — rich and earthy but meaty and delicate. No wonder they are a
favorite of gourmet cooks — when the mushrooms can be found. In Ohio, the season generally runs
from early April through mid-May, but weather dictates the harvest.

One of the largest festivals honoring the mushroom is the National Morel Mushroom Festival in
Boyne City, Mich. Now in its 53rd year, the festival slated for May 16-19 features a carnival,
crafts and music.

Mushroom hunters converge on the city along Lake Charlevoix to earn bragging rights in an annual
competition. Competitors are given 90 minutes to scour the surrounding hills for morels; champions
have collected almost 900 in that time.

Most festivalgoers take one of the guided hunts to learn the tricks to finding the fungi, which
have a tendency to blend into the earth and hide under leaves.

For me, the draw would be the “wine and dine” tent, where restaurants prepare dishes using the
local delicacy.

For more information on the Michigan festival, call 231-582-6222 or visit
www.morelfest.com.

Boyne City is far from the only town hosting a tribute to the mushroom.

In Brown County, Ind., organizers are planning the first Simply Music, Simply Mushrooms-Morel
Festival on April 19-20. Activities will include guided hunts, live music and classes including
tree identification and morel preparation.

The location — the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Campgrounds — is near several prime
spots, including Yellowwood State Forest and Brown County State Park.

Mesick, Mich., which calls itself the mushroom capital of the United States, has a festival
planned for May 10-12. The event will feature a carnival, parade and flea market as well as
mushroom-centric activities. For more information, visit
www.mesick-mushroomfest.org.